Cotton-harvester.



No'. 817,666. PAT-ENTED APR. 10,1906. :1". H. PRICE &W. P. QUENTBLL. COTTON HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 13, 1905.

s SHE'ETSSHEET 1,

, PATENTED APR. 10, 1906.. T.'H. PRICE & w. P. .QUBNTELL.

COTTON HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 13, 1905.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

No. 817,666. PATENTED APR. 10, 1906. T. H. PRICE & W. P. QUENTE-LL.

COTTON HARVESTER. APPLIGTIdN FILED JAN.13, 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEBT s.

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' 1o ter in which a vehicle, preferably mounted on ouira snares THEODORE H. PRICE ANB WILLIAM ASSIGNORS TO UTILITY COTTON N. Y., A GORPORATlON OF YORK.

corroni-mevesree.

Specification of Letters Patent. I

Patented April 10,1906.

Application filed January 13, 1905. Serial No. 240,889,

To all w/wm it may concern.-

Be'it known that we, THEODORE H. PRICE and WILLIAM P. QUENTELL, citizens of the United States of America, residing in the borough'of Manhattan, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton-Harvesters, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to a cotton-harveswheels and carrying a source of poweras, for example, a gasolene-motorcarries powerconveying apparatus for transmission of power from such motor to a series of individual cottonicking instruments which are manipulated y operators in the field; and the present invention relates particularly to the devices for supporting the cotton-picking instruments for supplying power thereto and the specific construction of the cotton-pickin instrumentitself.

the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of our improved cotton-harvester. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is an elevation with parts broken away of the cotton-picking instrument, and Fig. 4 is a detail plan view of a portion of the picking-belt.

' We have shown as the vehicle a frame 1, carrying a platform 2, which may have at 3 a receptacle for the cotton gathered by the several picking instruments and whichcarries the motor 4, preferably a gasolene-engine. The frame 1 is mounted upon carryingwheels 5. Motive power for the vehicle may be employed; but it is intended in the present instance that the vehicle shall be drawn through the field by the operators of the picking instruments, or by an additional operator, who attends to the vehicle alone, or by power. Projecting forward from the front of the frame 1 are upwardly-projecting inclined arms 6, here shown to be two in number and supportin at their forward and upper ends pendent giving-shafts 7, which are preferably flexible shafts of the usual formthat is to sa having the usual non-rotating external s eath-which is clamped in the upper ends of the arms 6, and an inner rotating shaft driven by the pulley 8. The barrel or casing 9 of the picking instrument. may be hung fronfthe cord 7, depending. froimthe arm The interior rotating core of the shaft 7 is connected by bevel-gear 10, Fi .3, to the interior operating-gear of the pic 'ng instrument. We have shown in Fig. 1 the supporting of four of the pulleys 8 and their corresponding flexible shafts upon the arms 6. Bevel-gears or other well-known or referred means of driving the flexible sha ts7 may be used. In the present instance we have shown the pulleys 8 receiving motion from the motor 4-by belts 11 passing over a driving-pulley 12 on the motor and over pulleys 1.3.

Referring again to Fig. 3, it will be seen that the outer sheath of the flexible shaft has at its lower end a head or collar 14, which, engaging below the bracket 15 or other fixed point on the casing or barrel of the picking instrument, will serve, in connection with or I in place of cord 7*, tosupport the picking instrum'ent.

16 is the picking-belt, driven from the flexible shaft in any desired manner. As here shown it is driven by the engagement ofbevelgear 10 with bevel-gear 17, which drives, through pinions 18, the pulle of the belt and the shaft of the dofling brus 19, which delivers the picked cotton into the suspended receptacle 20, which is em tied into the common receptacle 3 of the ve '01s. The peculiar construction of the picking-belt here shown is important. One of the im ortant reasons for using the individuallyirected picking 8 instrument is to enable the selection of the cotton to be icked. For practical o eration it is found t at the chamber of the arrel or casing of the picker must be made wide enough to carry the cotton throughwithout 'ammin'g. It is important that the pickingelt be of sufiicient length to project beyond "the barrel of the picking instrument and also be of the full Width of the chamber 'of the easing or barrel of the picking instrument, so as to afford a complete conveying-surface for carrying the cotton from the front to therear of the barrel and prevent any cotton falling down to the side of its outer supportingaoller 21 (which is located beyond the barrel to support the projecting part of the picking belt) or into the interior of the barrel between the two parts of the belt; but it is also important that the picking surface be narrow enough to enter the ripe bolls of cotton. If 105 the picking-fingers are arranged in lines the full width of the belt, they will when the picking instrument is applied to a boll which is not completely open lriclr the leaves of the boll, and so knock the letter away and prevent the picking of the cotton. We find it, therefore, desirable to arrange the lines of pichingdingers 22 in a plurality of rows, occopying a central strip of much less width than the full width of belt 16, as shown in 4-. W find in practice, for example, that with three rows of }')lClll1g-fi11g8i5 of a. total width of about three-eighths of an inch one belt of about one and oncfourth inches in width, very satisfactory results obtained, If the belt and the chamber of the barrel themselves were reduced to the width of the combined rows of picl i.ng-fingers, they would not be wide enough for practical operstion,because the cotton would in the barrel We have also found in practice that a great advantage in getting down into the boll is attsined by arranging the central row of picking-fingers longer than the exterior rows, shown in Fig. l, the result being a. torn'intion of a picking-surface which is nearly analogous to the fingers oi the hand and enabling the picking of the bolls with much greater certainty. The method of mounting the pins or fingers upon the picking-belt may vary as desired; but the method ordinarily adopted on cording-"eel ts is n practical one.

The op-.-rution will now be understood. The operators walking in the field are enobled to direct the picking ins truments to the bolls of cotton to be picked, selecting such as are ripe. The repidrunning belt 16, driven from the power onthe vehicle, gathers the cotton and conveys it through the barrel of the picking instrument and delivers it to the re ceptccle 20 from which it is from time to time emptied into the common receptacle 3 on the vehicle. in the present invention it is not intended that the picking instruments shall be carried by the operators, they being in all usual ositions of use sus ended from the forwardly projecting breve *et arms 6. The use of the arms 6 enables us to carry the point of conveying power and support to the picking instruments out to a point away from the vehicle proper, and by having the flexible support depending perpendicularly over the picking instrument the lstters weight is directly supported and it can be swung around and directed to any position with less ellort than if the shaft were connected horizontally to the vehicle and the picking instruments were carried by the operator. l'luving thus described our invention, whet we claim new, and desire to secure .by Letters Patent, is

i. A picking instruimint ammprising ban El, :1 picking-bolt ol the lull width of the humhcr oi the barrel and priiiiocting therebeyond, having a plurality of longitudinal rows of pickingdhigers located centrally of the picking-belt so as to leave plain carryingsurfcces upon opposite sides of the pickinglingers, and means for operating the pickingbelt.

2. A picking instrument comprising a barrel, e picking-belt, having a plurality of longitudinsl rows of picking-fi11ge1s located centrally of the picking-belt so as to leave plain carrying-surfaces upon opposite sides of the picking-fingers, the picking-fingers of the central row of picking-fingers being of greater length then the outer rows of picking-fingers, and means for operating the picking-belt.

3. A picking instrument comprising a barrel, a picl ing-belt oi the full width of the bsrrel and projecting therebeyond having a plurelity of longitudinal rows of picking-fingers located centrally of the picking-belt so as to leave plain carrying-surfaces" upon opposite sides of the picking-fingers, and means for operating the picking-belt consisting of'intermeshing pinions, bevel gear-wheels, and a. flexible driving-shaft mounted upon the barrel.

4.. The combination of a vehicle, a power mechenismcerried by the vehicle, a picking instrument comprising a barrel, e cotton-receptacle, a picl ing-belt having picking-fingers, and mechanism mounted upon the bcr. rel for operating the picking belt, means whereby the picking instrument is suspended from the vehicle and a flexible driving-shaft suspended from the vehicle andconnecting the power mechanism with the mechanism of the picking-belt.

5. The combination of a vehicle, having upwardly-projecting inclined arms, a power mechanism carried by the vehicle, a picking instrument comprising a barrel, :1 cotton-receptacle, av picking-belt having picking-fingers and mechanism mounted upon the barrel for operating the picking-belt, means whereby the picking instrument is suspended from the inclined arms and a flexible drivingshaft suspended from the vehicle and connecting the power mechanism with the mechanism of the picking-belt.

mechanism carried by the vehicle, it picking instrument comprising a barrel or casing, a belt mounted in said casing for conveying the cotton, driving mechanism for the belt mount ed upon said casing, means whereby the cas ing is suspended from the vehicle, and a flexible driving-shaft connecting the power'mech- 'enism with the belt-driving mechanism on said casing.

THEODORE H. PRICE. WILLIAM P. QUENTEZLL. Witnesses:

ll. ll. COATS,- l A. S. Meson.

6. The combination of avehicle and power 

